Juicy ripe strawberries, crunchy dill pickles, delicious peaches – nothing tastes better than home-preserved foods. In addition, a well-stocked pantry is a step towards ensuring you always have plenty of food available. However, safely preserving food at home requires a bit of knowledge, time set aside, and a small investment in equipment.

Learn how to preserve fresh foods safely in a series of four evening workshops at WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Evergreen Room in McCollum Park, 600 128th St SE, Everett. The series repeats three times during the season on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings.

Students making a freezer jam during the Jams, Jellies & Spreads class. PHOTO BY KATE HALSTEAD

The online course described following is a pre-requisite to the three hands-on classes. Be sure to complete the online course at least one week prior to ensure we receive notification of completion. Designed for beginners as well as veteran canners who want to update their knowledge and recipes, Preserve the Taste of Summer provides the most current USDA-approved food preservation recommendations. The online lessons can be viewed at any time and at the pace you choose. You will need a computer made in the past five years and a stable internet connection. Cost is $25 total for all eight lessons. Visit PreserveSummer.cahnrs.wsu.edu  to register.

Basics of Safe Canning:  Learn the basics of food safety and canning skills, including bacteria and food spoilage, canning equipment, and canning high/low acid foods. Includes demonstration of the process, no hands-on. Offered Tuesday, June 9, Monday, June 15, or Wednesday, Sept 23 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Jams, Jellies, & Spreads: Capture the bright flavors of fresh fruit and discover how easy it is to put ‘summer in a jar’. Learn how to create that perfect balance of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients to enhance flavor and shelf life with research-based recipes. Demonstration and hands-on; take home a jar of finished product.  Offered Tuesday, June 30, Monday, July 6, or Wednesday, Sept 30 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Tomatoes, Salsa, & Relish: Learn how to turn the local abundance of tomatoes and fresh vegetables into jars of color and flavor for the dreary days of winter. Demonstration and hands-on; take home a jar of finished product. Offered Tuesday, July 21, Monday, July 27 or Wednesday, Oct 7 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Pickling & Fermenting: Crisp, tasty pickles are the ultimate test of a canner’s skill. Learn how to make a great product every time along with the traditional art of fermentation. Demonstration and hands-on; take home a jar of finished product. Offered Tuesday, Aug 11, Monday, Aug 17, or Wednesday, Oct 14 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.  

Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. Cost is $20 per workshop or save and take all four for $60. Register online at PreserveTheHarvest.brownpapertickets.com or download the form at snohomish.wsu.edu/preserve-the-harvest and mail with your check.

For more information on any of the courses, contact Kate Halstead, WSU Snohomish County Extension Food Safety Program, Foodsafety.snoco@wsu.edu, (425) 357-6004.

Additional workshops coming up

Food Fun: Put Summer in a Jar! Short cooking demonstrations of jams, jellies and spreads will be held on Saturday, June 20 during the Biringer Farm Harvest Festival in Arlington. Kate Halstead, WSU Snohomish County Extension Food Safety Program, will lead the free demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  For more information see biringerfarm.com.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes with Susy Hymas: Join food preservation specialist Susy Hymas of Daylight Harvest Foods for demonstrations and discussion on preserving tomatoes on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ay the Community Food Co-op in downtown Bellingham. Learn how to safely can tomatoes, salsas and sauces. The class fee is $19.

Pressure Canning with Susy Hymas: Hymas shows you all you need to know about preserving vegetables and meats safely with a pressure canner. on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m. ay the Community Food Co-op in downtown Bellingham. Students will gain an understanding of how pressure canners work and what foods are preserved with this method. The class fee is $19.

Published in the June 2015 issue of Grow Northwest